Icy Sunlight
by Quilliariya
Summary: Juvia Lockser despised humans... And then she met Gray Fullbuster. [Gruvia. NaLu. Mermaid AU]
1. she who braves the deep sea

**Prologue: She who braves the deep sea**

* * *

Juvia Lockser hated humans.

It was a thought that imbedded itself into her being. She buried her nails deep into her skin, her anger boiling deep from the roots of her hair to the tip of her swishing blue tail. The young mermaid saw hell at an early age, her eyes dead to the world as she gazed at the bloody corpses that used to be her parents. The waters around her twisted in fury, the waves lapping at the shoreline from the distance.

No mercy, Juvia.

She uncurled and curled her tiny hands into fists, clenching her jaw as she stared at the mangled remains of her loved ones. The harpoon from above had long since left, but her fury remained in her body, eating at her from the inside, stagnant waves in its wake. After what seemed like eternity, the little mermaid fell to the ocean floor, alongside her mother and her father. Their blood stained skin and hair alike, but she did not care. Her tears floated with the tide, and she placed her head on her mother's shoulder as she always did, praying for the gentle hand to come and caress her shiny hair.

There was no steady touch.

She stayed there for a long time. The dark, murky waters soon turned a fine shade of blue, reflecting the sky. Rays of glimmering sunlight made their way past the waves, sparkling and shimmering as they refracted through the waters. It was a beautiful sight, but the little mermaid felt no happiness as she continued to gaze upwards, lying between the bodies of her parents.

The world was beautiful, but also very, very cruel.

* * *

"Juvia, come back here ya stubborn girl!" Gajeel shouted as he swam past the coves, his agile, gray tail swishing from behind him, a few bubbles in its midst. "I said come back!"

"No," was the girl's dull reply, sending herself past a few fishes in a sudden burst of speed.

The little mermaid from long ago blossomed into a young flower, a gorgeous beauty to behold. Her blue hair scattered and spread in the water like waves, framing her serene face. Her skin was pale and her gills blue. There was a pattern of swirls she had inherited from her mother growing from the edge of her waist to the middle of her stomach, decorating her body. Her eyes, however, were a different story. Although they were as deep as the ocean—something that resembled a beautiful void—her eyes were dead and dull. Her face was always contorted into emotionless expressions, her mouth set in a grim line and her gaze a stern one. Her tail was a beautiful sapphire, the colour green emerging once in a while.

"Where are ya heading anyway?" Gajeel called from behind her, finally catching up. It was only when he was beside her that she realized she had lost her velocity, and she gazed at him blankly as he looked down at her, their tails twitching ever so slightly.

"Have you not heard? Master Jose is looking for us. He has a new mission for Gajeel-kun and Juvia," she told the man.

"Revenge," Gajeel's smirked, displaying her fanged mouth for the world to see. "Finally."

Gajeel was of shark-folk, a race buried underneath the depths of humanity and were almost forgotten through time. His skin almost resembled metal, and Juvia marveled at the way his tail glinted whenever the sun's rays happened to pass upon it. His gills were coloured silver, and a scar ran from the edge of his waist to his chest, a living reminder of the torture he had received from humans.

"Yes," Juvia said, nodding. "Something we have all been waiting for."

It was nearly noon when the two beings arrived at the headquarters of Phantom Lord, a murky place deep within the sea. No fishes resided in that area, where sharks ran rampant and other unknown (yet horrid) organisms swam about. The dangers of the depths of the darkness were well-known to mermaids and fishfolk alive, but Juvia and Gajeel paid no mind as they swam to the insides of the cavern.

Master Jose grinned as he saw the two enter, relishing in the joy of companionship. "Ah, two of my S-class mages," he proclaimed, waving his finned arms around as if the notion could help him attain respect. "Come, sit with us. We have business to discuss."

Juvia stared at the crowd blankly, noting her companions and nodding when Monsieur Sol flashed her a gentleman-ly smile. She placed her hands on her tail when she sat, allowing it to swish as it played with the pressured water from underneath her.

"Lucy Heartfilia," Master Jose said, a snarky grin playing on his face as he flashed pictures of a blonde girl through a clam. "Her father is the king of a kingdom from our neighboring sea, and he wishes nothing more than to return her to the sea. Silly girl asked a sea witch to exchange her tail for a pair of good-for-nothing legs."

"Tsk," Gajeel commented, rolling his eyes. Pathetic.

Juvia raised an eyebrow at this, opening her mouth to speak. "Do you expect us to infiltrate land and find her? How would you expect us to do that?"

"Why, I will be granting all of you legs! It will be a piece of cake to drag her back here to the sea," an evil sneer crossed the master's features. "Bloody carnages are preferred, but keep the girl unharmed. Her father wouldn't want his little princess beaten and battered. Feel free to destroy some humans while you're there though."

"Gihi," Gajeel sneered, a grin spreading across his features. He was going to play.

"Here," the master handed each of them a vial, filled with some sort of bubbly tonic that made Juvia sick when she inhaled it. "Don't drink it," the sharkman warned. "Pour it on your tails once all of you reach land. You can keep your original powers, so don't be such wussies. And remember—" the sneer on Master Jose's face disappeared, to be replaced by a serious look that actually surprised Juvia a bit. "A single drop of seawater on those disgusting legs, and you transform back into fishfolk, tail and gills and all—and you'll find yourself writhing on land in no time."

All of them nodded, and Juvia followed Gajeel as he immediately threw himself upwards, the need for blood trailing in his stead. Within mere minutes, the dark, pressured water soon turned into depths of blue, and the sun was in view.

Juvia pushed her hair back as she breathed in the outside air, breathing in the familiar smell of salt. She held the vial in one hand, gazing at the purple tonic that bubbled and hissed when she lifted it in the air, exposing it to the light.

"We'll transform tonight," Gajeel told her, watching the sun turn into a deep, orange colour, spreading the reddish and yellowish hues in the sky. "That enough time for you to prepare?" He asked.

Juvia nodded mutely, before diving back into the deep abyss she called her home.

* * *

The moon was high in the sky when the two fishfolk emerged from the deep seas, their ominous figures looming in the darkness. Juvia buried her nails in the sand, dragging her body towards the shore and hissing when the sand brushed against her gills. She pulled her tail in front of her, taking herself away from the salt water.

Biting her lip and clenching her jaw, the little mermaid popped the vial open, nodding to her companion as he did the same. The acid like substance hissed as it hit the open air, and Juvia poured the entire thing from below her waist to the tips of her beautiful blue fins.

The pain was agonizing.

The heat seared into her scales and she nearly screamed, biting her lip in pain and burying her fingernails deep in the sand, trying not to succumb to her need to shout. She was inhaling deeply, panting as sweat budded on her forehead. Her eyes glinted with adrenaline, and she watched as her wonderful blue tail split in two before her very eyes, the tear echoing in her ears. The cold night air mingled with the heat radiating from what used to be her tail, and the contrast sent her rolling on the sand in sheer agony, crying out as she did so. Soon, the pain subsided, and she was greeted with a pair of human legs—an asset her greatest enemy possessed.

Gajeel barely flinched beside her, and she winced as he easily stood up with a lot more ease than she. Juvia picked herself up from the sand, but failed to do so as she tripped, her knees giving out under her. She looked up at Gajeel, surprised at the sudden change in his skin tone. What had once been somewhat metallic had looked close to tan, and handsome studs lined his eyebrows. "Gajeel-kun," she murmured, lifting her hand up to meet with hers, and he took it, dragging her upward and supporting the rest of her body weight with his other hand. "Thank you," she whispered, looking down at the disgusting pair beneath her. Seaweed covered the area between her waist and between her legs, and she briefly wondered why this was included in her transformation. With a shrug, she allowed Gajeel to guide her to a place he decided was suited for camp, wriggling in her step.

"What's the plan?" She asked, trying to balance herself on two feet when Gajeel let go of her. The amount of concentration needed to keep herself steady was, sadly, not enough, and she found herself plummeting on the sandy floor for the third time that night.

"We find Lucy Heartfilia," Gajeel replied, taking out a clam that flashed the picture of the blonde heiress. "She's somewhere in this kingdom, and we have to find her."

"Juvia believes that this will not be easy," the former mermaid replied sighing as she slumped on the sand, her eyes trailing to the vast sea.

Gajeel pounded his fist into his palm, his anger and lust for revenge evident on his features. He glared at nothingness, his eyes burning with rage and determination, his mouth spread into a dark grin. The picture of true evil.

"Doesn't matter. I'll kill them," Gajeel proclaimed into the dead of the night. "I'll kill all of those pathetic humans."

* * *

She awoke to the sun's gentle rays.

Her companion had long since gone, the empty space leering from beside her. He had left in the dead of the night, in a fit of fury and need for blood. The former mermaid gazed at the sea stretching out in front of her, the waters sparkling and beautiful.

A fisherman's boat emerged from the sea, and a haul of fresh fish was thrown on the sand with little care. The fishes inside wiggled and struggled to free themselves, lapping at the wiry nets and bouncing over the grains of sand. The grinning fishermen hauled the animals into the shore, showing no mercy as the poor beings gasped for air.

Juvia stood up, her hair falling from her shoulders to land on her back, a glare set in her eyes. Clothed in nothing, she rose.

"You people," she spoke, and the fishermen looked at her, their eyes nearly bugging out of their sockets as they saw her slender legs. "Disgust me," she continued, oblivious to the stares sent her way.

"Well, what do we have here?" The first of the three men stated, running a hand through his unruly red locks, as if the action could make him handsome. "A pretty lady washed up ashore. And alone, at that."

"Return those fish to the sea," she told him, paying no heed to the comment she had received. "Or else."

"Come on now lady," a second of those men said, moving forward and smirking as he reached for Juvia's hand. "Come with us instead!"

"Wait now," another protested, placing his hands on the shoulders of his two comrades. "She's not wearing anything. . . You don't think she's a mermaid, do you? There have been rumours about them exchanging tails for feet, and considering—"

The first guy pushed him away, shrugging his shoulder in an attempt to get his friend's hand off him. With great indifference, he strode toward Juvia in big, heavy steps, a perfectly placed smirk on his face. "Even better then. We can get a lot of money off of her.

No mercy, Juvia.

The little mermaid readied her fingertips, feeling energy emanate from the edges. She grinned at her power, marveling at the way water formed on her palm, the drops floating in mid-air, controlled by no one but her. The rush of the moment was spreading through her body, and she couldn't feel the pain in her legs anymore.

Before she could unleash her fury, however, a clothed being stepped in front of her, and she could see nothing but the strange contrast between his hair colour and the clothes he was wearing. "You there," the being stated, his tone not to be questioned. "What do you think you're doing?"

Juvia's water melted the moment they hit the sand, and she watched as all three men recoiled at the sight of the new arrival. Tilting her head forward, the blue-haired woman tried to catch a glimpse of who looked like her rescuer, but was unable to do so for the man stepped forward, his arms crossed above his chest.

"I asked you a question," she heard him stay sternly. She flinched at his voice then, backing away from the human who had stepped between her and revenge.

His deep voice reminded her of the shouts she had heard from that night. The harpoon. The ship. The people.

The three fishermen glanced at the man who had rudely intervened, the first with the most disdain in his eyes. "We were just going to have a little fun," he snarled, then turning away, he cocked his head upwards. "Let's go, it looks like this bastard here's trying to play goody-goody."

With those words said, Juvia found herself alone with the mysterious stranger, staring at the white coat he was wearing. Within seconds, he turned to face her, and her breath stopped in her throat when she caught sight of what he really looked like.

He had a scar above his left brow, and his eyes were fixed in a glare. His mouth was in a straight line, the expression on his face reminding her of her own. From his neck, a weird, stringed-like object hung, and Juvia was tempted to touch it.

"Who are you?" The man asked her, and the lady raised an eyebrow at the remark.

"Juvia," she replied, her voice its usual monotone. She stared at him emotionlessly, taking in his appearance and thinking of possible ways for her to end his life.

"Juvia. . .?" He seemed to trail off, and she realized he was looking for a last name.

"Just Juvia," she replied swiftly, as if practiced.

They stood in silence then, and she could see the sun rise out of the corner of her eye. Birds of every sort filled the air, and the air smelt of the sea. She was highly tempted to break the handsome man's gaze and stare at the beauty of nature that stretched out in front of her, something she had learned to acknowledge back when she was at sea.

"And you?" She asked the man.

"Gray," he replied. His cold stare was imbedding itself into her being, but she didn't mind. "Gray Fullbuster."

"Very well then, Gray Fullbuster," she repeated his name with ease, the letters rolling off her tongue. "I am going to kill you now."


	2. blue skies

**Chapter II: blue skies**

* * *

He narrowed his eyes at her, observing the way her blue tresses fell just in front of her breasts, covering what was necessary. Her eyes were set in an expression that was very well set on the goal she had previously mentioned. He raised an eyebrow at this.

"I save your ass from bad men and you want to kill me?" He asked, crossing his arms above his chest in an attempt to postpone her foolery. "What makes you think you can defeat me anyway?"

"Juvia is Juvia of the Great Sea," she proclaimed, pride rising in her tone. "Within the sea's reach, Juvia is unbeatable."

"Oh yeah?" He taunted, readying his stance. "I'll take your word for it, but it won't mean that I'll easily killed by you. Why aren't you wearing any clothes, anyway?"

"Clothes?" The girl repeated, and for a moment he caught her off guard. She looked genuinely surprised and a little bit confused, her emotionless expression contorting into one that was actually a little bit—cute. "What are . . . Clothes?"

He chuckled at this, but resumed his straight face once she glared at him. "Clothes are—well, these," he placed his hands to the sides of his neck to pull on the collars of his trenchcoat, only to mret open air once he had closed his fingers. Once he glanced down, his very much naked-except-for-his-underwear body stared back up at him, and he grimaced. "I lose mine a lot. Guess I'm not one to be talking." He turned around then, trying to locate where he had flung his clothing off to.

She tilted her head to the side, and he watched her out of the corner of his eye. Her arms were elevated slightly beside her, and weren't hanging off her body like a normal person's would. She seemed to have a lot of trouble keeping her balance, for she kept sinking her toes underneath the sand, as if begging her legs not to give way under her. With her stance, her unusual ability to keep steady, and her lack of knowledge about normal human things that were needed to survive—

"Are you even human?" He asked her then, grabbing his coat that was hanging from a tree branch (how the fuck did that even get there? He couldn't have thrown it that hard).

Her eyes widened slightly, and raising her hand without warning, she summoned a wave by her side, avoiding the salty waters. He dodged her attack, surprised at being caught off-guard. "Hey!" He shouted in protest once he landed, slipping on his piece of clothing and securing it over his shoulders. "I wasn't ready!"

"Does Juvia look like she cares?" The blue haired girl asked him then, and he found himself avoiding another flurry of waves. "Water Lock!"

In an instant, a sphere of water appeared to encase Gray, and sucking in a deep breath, he found himself submerging inside. He opened his eyes, but the boy immediately regretted his decision, for the salt water definitely stung like a bitch. It was then when he decided that he had enough of shit. He slammed his fist into his palm, ice immediately forming and erupting from the collision. The ice spread out into the water, covering it—and when he punched the sphere, it exploded, and he found his feet meeting sand once more.

"He broke out of Juvia's water lock by himself?" The girl muttered, astounded. "I thought humans were incapable of magic . . .No matter. Water Slicer!"

Knife-like strands of water escaped the tips of her fingers, and Gray found himself dodging again, watching as the water jets hit a nearby tree, effectively slicing it in half. He glanced back at the girl, whose hands were raised experimentally, daring him to do something.

"My turn," he sneered, sliding his foot against the sand as he landed. "Ice make, lance!" Upon his command, sharp and pointed icicles attacked from his magic circle, heading on towards the girl. "Try to avoid that—"

She made no move to dodge, and merely stared on as the sharp ice weapons headed her way. His eyes widened ever so slightly as he saw his ice impale her—through the stomach, shoulders, legs—before hitting a tree behind her.

What surprised him was to see her body start to regenerate, the holes his attack had created starting to connect through streams of water, to disappear from sight forever. In mere seconds, she was as good as new, and it was as if the direct attack he had cast upon her was nothing but a mere fantasy.

"Physical attacks do not work on Juvia," the former mermaid announced. "Gray-sama has to try harder than that if he wants to stop her from killing him."

"Gray-sama?" He shuddered at the added formality. Did she know that he was royalty?

The formidable prince of Fiore, disciple of Ur, son of Silver and Mika Fullbuster. His parents had long gone, and it was the humble countess who had taken him in in the North, training him and teaching him her ways. He had journeyed back to Fiore when his teacher had died, after defeating the evil overlord of all merpeople—a demon called Deliora, the same demon who had murdered his parents. From then on, Gray found himself overridden with guilt, and a burning desire to eradicate all evil from the sea. When he arrived in Fiore, he was taken in by the king, knowing his lineage and the bountiful inheritance he was to receive. With Makarov as a supposed father, a pink-haired, flame-brained, half-assed excuse for a fire mage as a brother, a redheaded mage in training to be the future captain of the garrisons their kingdom had as a sister—well, you could kind of say he was contented with his life.

"What are you?" He asked, trying to steer the conversation away from his status (if she even knew). "Mages are really hard to come across nowadays."

"Mages?"

"You don't know what mages are?"

When she shook her head, he frowned at her. Her was kind of absolutely certain she wasn't human now. Either that, or she was absolutely stupid—which had occurred to him when she spouted crap about killing him—but she looked as if she knew enough magic to retain enough information through that head of hers. It wasn't that she was stupid, it was just that she had never encountered it before.

"It's okay to tell me if you aren't human," he tried once again, leaning his weight on one side of his body. "It's not like I won't tell—"

A burst of steaming water headed in his direction, and he had no time to dodge this attack. The heat seared through his skin and he gulped, the sensation reminding him of his foster brother. Luckily for him, he was used to flames and heat, so the sudden jet stream of pure agony wasn't taking much of a toll on him as it was supposed to.

Juvia was seething. To be discovered not-to-be-human by a mere human, almost as soon as she had stepped on land—why, she was a disgrace! What in the world would Master Jose and the others think of the high and mighty Juvia failing to keep up a disguise in the human world? She would be the laughing stock of Phantom! She had to remove this pathetic imbecile off the face of the earth, if it was the last fucking thing she would ever do.

Gray placed his hands in front of him, a surge of energy bursting through his palms. The ice immediately encased the boiling water, and he ran towards Juvia, his hands following suit as he froze her waters, until he reached the girl herself. Shouting his battle cry, he distracted her long enough to freeze her—only to find his hand touching a very, very naked breast above strands of hair. Tinges of red dashed the Ice mage's cheeks and he immediately let go, releasing her from the ice.

She fell forward, her knees finally giving out from underneath her, and she stared at him from above. Gray muttered his sincerest apologies, looking away from Juvia as he tried to settle his eyes on something that wasn't a blue-eyed, blue-haired woman.

"You released me from the ice," she murmured, picking herself up from the ground. The thought of him touching her her was disgusting in a sense, but she didn't understand why the man was so flustered after his little accident. He was not that bad, for a human anyway. He seemed kind of. . . Nice, in a sense. Juvia sighed. "Do you know of a Lucy Heartfilia? If you do, I may spare you your life."

"Lucy?" A vague image of a blonde haired girl in a very pretty pink dress hanging out with Natsu flashed in his mind, and he narrowed his eyes. "What do you want with Lucy?"

"She is to return to us, where she belongs," she told him. "Her father is requesting her presence, and it is my job to drag her back to the sea."

"The sea?" He echoed, raising an eyebrow in slight confusion. "Why would he want her to go to the sea? She'll—" only mermaids could survive under the sea. The girl in front of him wore next to nothing, with only her hair and a few seaweeds as her sources of clothing. She was unaccustomed to the way of life he was used to. She had to drag someone back to the sea. He put two and two together.

"You're a mermaid, aren't you?" He asked bluntly, and Juvia's face reddened immensely.

She was such a fool! How in the world could she create a slip-up just like that? Oh, if Gajeel was to know, it would be the death of her. Her embarrassment heated the sides of her cheeks and the top of her nose, and she could barely see the human in front of her. She shook her head and slapped her cheeks, trying to wake herself up and convince herself that no, she was not dreaming, and that yes, this was reality.

"You figured Juvia out," she said angrily, gritting her teeth. "No matter. Just give me Lucy Heartfilia."

"Wait," Gray raised a hand up, halting her words. "If you're a mermaid, and you have feet, and you came here to drag Lucy back to the sea, then does that mean she's a mermaid too?"

He's not only handsome, but he seemed to possess some kind of intelligence in him as well, Juvia observed. "Yes, now if you could hand her over—"

"No way," Gray interrupted almost immediately, shaking his head. "I will not hand a friend over, unless she's willing to come with you. That will be her choice, not mine."

Her heart thumped loudly at his words, a twinge of jealousy for the blonde mermaid appearing in her chest. She was of royal status in the sea, a princess loved by her whole kingdom, but Lucy was lonely and dissatisfied with her life. She sought out a prince she had fallen in love with, and had exchanged her tail for a pair of disgusting legs, to the price of her voice. How could a woman who seemed so incredibly selfish deserve this kind of protection?

Yes, Juvia was alone. She was forced to live her life under the sea with only her beating heart and mind for company, without parents to love or any subjects to adore her. Why can't she have the same treatment as Lucy Heartfilia, who was probably having the time of her life at the very moment. Her envy boiled deep into her soul, and she forced herself to remain calm as she faced the man in front of her.

"Why is she here anyway?" Gray asked, running a hand through his dark locks, oblivious to the rage his companion was radiating. "A mermaid exchanges her tail for legs? Who does that? And why can you speak and why can't she? Are there different ways for mermaids to actually acquire legs?"

Juvia shrugged, and she stared at him blankly, her anger not dying down. "Bring me to her," she told him. She wanted to go back home, back to her pretty little cove with pretty little pearls and lots and lots of seashells for company. "So Juvia can go home. Juvia will tell her comrades to withdraw and not fight any humans anymore. Please."

He shook his head, refusing to give in. "I told you, didn't I? This is her decision to make, and—"

Boiling water came his way, and soon he was engulfed with a temperature that could already rival lava. Juvia glared at his form as he flowed with her tide, his back hitting the wall of a rock as he stopped. "Juvia's anger is unstoppable! Her jealousy is brimming!" She shouted angrily, screaming.

Gray put his hands in front of him. "I'll just freeze it again," he had thought, but was ultimately surprised when no ice came out of his outstretched hands. Was the water hotter than before? He coughed and sputtered as the water seemed to dissolve around him, and he came face to face with the blue haired mistress herself.

"Give me Lucy," she growled at him, and he glared at her, pushing himself up.

"Never in a million years."

He pushed her back using his hands, before laying out his attack. "Ice make, geyser!"

Juvia found herself laying on the sand this time, her wavy hair stretching out from beside her. She felt frozen, and a little bit exhausted from the amount of magic she had released a while back. She stared at the blue sky, watching as the sun's rays encompassed the horizon, lighting up the clouds and delivering magnificent light to wherever it touched. It was a beautiful sight, and it had been so long since she had lain on her back to watch the sun's rays play along the edges of the water.

"Oi," she heard a gruff voice come from above her, and the image of Gray Fullbuster came into sight, blocking the sun from her vision. She glanced up at him with tired eyes, and he looked a little taken aback when she did so. "You cooled off now?" He asked, kneeling beside her.

"Pretty," was her smart reply, as she found herself entranced with the beauty of the sky.

"Eh?" The man grunted, and he himself looked up, seeing the beautiful mass of blue stretching out from above them. "Ah, the sky? Come to think about it, do you get to look at it much when you're underwater?"

Juvia shook her head, and he chuckled. "Well, you get to see it now. Congratulations."

He flashed her a smirk. Whether it was from the heat of the battle, or the beauty of the sky—she could have sworn her heart skipped a beat.

* * *

"So you want to live on land a little?" Gray repeated, finding the blue haired girl trailing behind him. He had offered her his coat, preferring to walk around in nothing but his pants (not that he was bothered by it anyway). She had took it with compliance, but seemed a little confused when she was told that she couldn't go around with only her hair and some leaves covering her—parts.

"Juvia has to get back Lucy Heartfilia, and since you won't give her to Juvia, then she has to go find her herself," the girl told him, rolling her eyes. "Wherever you reside, I am sure that she is there."

Gray sighed, irritated at her determination and set goal. "Fine, I won't be able to stop you from 'getting' her. But could you at least spare me some slack and promise that you won't pull off any dirty tricks while we're asleep or something? That's unfair."

"Juvia doesn't really care, because all she needs—"

"I'm just asking you to let the castle sleep, for God's sake," he spat at her, pushing the castle doors open. "I'm already letting you follow me to my house, and I gave you my cloak, so could you please just stay out of my way and just converse with Lucy and negotiate or something?" He avoided the castle entrance, the one he and Natsu were always ordered to use, and headed back to the servant's quarters. Greeting a few horsemen as he passed, he dragged the girl forward, pushing her into the cramped kitchen and looking to see if there were any eavesdroppers.

He closed the door from behind them, and saw her tug on his cloak a little more, her lip quivering a little because of the cold. He sighed. What the fuck was he supposed to do with a washed-on-shore mermaid with a pursuit to kill everyone she mentions?

"Juvia won't pull any dirty tricks," she told him quietly, looking at the food and plates and everything around her. "But Lucy really has to return to the sea."

"I get that," he stated, crossing his arms. "Now, this is the castle, and Lucy is probably with Natsu at the moment. First we need to get you some decent clothes, and make you fit a little more if you want to stay here, on land. Do you understand?"

She nodded then, looking him directly in the eye. He squinted a little at the sight of her blue pair, framed by thick lashes. Her eyes appeared to be hollow, and a little dead, void of any emotion whatsoever. He had seen a little spark in them a while back, something that seemed to resemble anger—but that was it. Just a spark.

"Excellent. Now I have to get back. Find Mirajane Strauss, she'll probably let you in. Tell her you're under my care, and that you need a place to stay. She's a girl with silver hair and she smiles a lot. Bye."

With those words said, the former mermaid was left alone in a dingy kitchen, pulling on a coat that was too big for her, and biting her lip as her legs felt like there were a thousand knives poking them. He left at a door in the right, and she pushed open a door to the left.

She was greeted with the sight of three people with matching silver hair, and a lot of (what Gray-sama called) clothes. The three of them looked up as she entered, and she found herself under the scrutinizing gaze of who looked to be the eldest and most mature of the three. She held her position, not at all intimidated by the sight of them.

"Hello there!" The eldest said, and she grinned at her. "What is it that you want?"

"Are you Mirajane Strauss?" She asked, and when the girl with the longest hair nodded, she sighed a little thankfully. "Juvia was told that she had to go to you. She is under Gray-sama's care and she really needs a place to—"

The girl with a short hair walked towards her eagerly, grabbing her hand and taking them within two of her own. "I'm Lisanna! I'm Mira-nee's little sister, and the huge man over there is my brother, Elf-nii! Nice to meet you!"

Mirajane smiled demurely at her sister's enthusiasm, and offered Juvia a seat beside her. "Elfman, do you mind stepping out for a moment? We might need to measure her," she told her brother, and he nodded.

"A man knows when to leave!" He declared, before exiting the door and shutting it behind him.

"I'm assuming your name is Juvia?" Mira said, focusing on the blue-haired girl. "My, your hair looks just like the ocean! What brings you here?"

"Juvia needs to capture Lucy Heartfilia, and bring her back to the sea," the girl answered honestly. "But to do that, she has to converse and negotiate with her, apparently. Her father wants her unharmed anyway."

"Well now, I'm glad you won't resort to violence." Mira glanced at Juvia, her serene blue eyes deepening a few shades darker, and a somewhat demonic aura radiated off of her. "Had you wanted to hurt her, well," she cackled, and Juvia found herself shrinking a little, cowering behind Lisanna.

"Juvia won't," she immediately told the silver haired woman, as if to sedate her.

Perhaps not all humans were bad, was the thought that had entered Juvia's mind when she found herself engaging in conversation with the Strauss sisters. She told them all about her fight with Gray, and was forced to tell them the secret of her and Lucy's identity. By the end of her tale, a knock came from the door.

"Come in," Mira answered, and a woman with red hair clad in metal entered the room, her arms over her chest condescendingly. "Ah, Erza, welcome back!"

"Mira, I need a new job," she told her, and only them seemed to notice the presence of the newcomer. "Oh, who's this?"

"Juvia," the mermaid answered simply, blinking at her sudden appearance.

"Pleasure to meet your acquaintance," Erza said, and she took the girl's hand in hers and shook it firmly. Juvia bit her lip at the force the other girl's handshake, a little confused at the action as well. "I'm Erza Scarlet. Welcome to Fairy Tail."


	3. she who is unable to speak

_It's been a year and a half since I last updated skfjskfj aside from writer's block, school happened huhu but im back now. I'll try to update more frequently as well, since the storyboard for this is already done! reviews make me warm and fuzzy huhu so plz leave some if you have some spare time!_

* * *

**Chapter II: she who is unable to speak **

* * *

Juvia had never heard of _clothes. _In fact, it was a term deemed foreign to her, along with _forks, _and _spoons _and _cups _and _curtains. Clothes, _however, were introduced to her by a couple of girls who cowered as they stared at her nearly naked frame.

"What is this?" she had asked in disgust, eye twitching as she glared at the garment they had presented to her. "Juvia will not succumb to your human ways, she is perfectly fine with what she has."

"But Lady Juvia," a green-haired girl started to protest, and Juvia narrowed her eyes at the girl, making the former flinch, "Captain Erza and Duchess Mirajane have orde—_requested, _us to clothe you, and—"

"Well, then you can tell the both of them that Juvia will not allow such disgusting material to grace her skin. Should you push through, Juvia will make sure that your heads will come off your bodies—"

_It's not that bad. _

The light, airy voice that spoke in her head made the water mistress stop short. Her sudden halt made the maids-in-waiting back away, scared of what the blue-haired mermaid was capable of doing. Juvia turned around.

She turned around, trusting her intuition, and she was met by a yellow-haired girl who smiled at her in response, her hand waving in greeting. She was dressed in pink, pearls adorning the magnificent gown she was wearing, and a beautiful pin rested on her bangs, keeping them away from her pale face. Her eyes were a soft brown, and Juvia nearly scoffed as she recognized the memorable eyes that had become well-known throughout the kingdom because of the kind-heartedness of its owner.

"Selfish girl," Juvia said in greeting. "_Princess_ Lucy," the title was said in spite. Juvia crossed her arms over her chest, watching as the blonde reddened in guilt. "You're going back to the kingdom. Your father's looking for you."

_You can't take me back! _Her expression was that of horror, and Juvia rolled her eyes indifferently. _My father—_

"is a person you can't defy. Now go home, Heartfilia."

The princess was unable to speak.

_Small price to pay,_ Juvia thought, as she glanced warily at the blonde beauty in front of her. The princess was gesturing to her mouth, painted red with a material she raised her eyebrow at—it greatly enhanced the princess' beauty, she observed.

"I'd rather the two of you have a decent conversation regarding the matter at hand," Erza told the both of them. Her gaze, however, was fixated on Juvia. "At least put this on." Juvia stared at the material Erza handed in her direction, her eyes darting from the _clothes _to the scarlet-haired captain. "Come on, I'll help you."

After a lot of fumbling and adjusting, blue garments covered the porcelain skin of the mistress of water, her eye twitching in irritation.

"Now, let's get down to business," Erza said, letting Juvia sit in front of a chair and gesturing for Lucy to sit opposite her. She moved to sit between them, her eyes alert as she shifted her gaze from one girl to the other.

"Juvia Lockser," the mermaid said, crossing her arms above her chest in a manner similar to irritation, cocking an eyebrow at the princess opposite her. Her curt reply earned her a smile from the blonde, and various attempts to relay her name through—admittedly—hilarious acts. "Lucy Heartfilia, I know of your existence. You don't know of mine." Her features hardened. Lucy bit her lip in nervousness.

Flashes of a cunning sea witch entered the princess' mind, and she shuddered at the familiar memories. Her fingers entwined with each other, trying to offer her body comfort as she watched the blue-haired mermaid glare at her, sapphire eyes holding back a fury that resembled the rage of the sea. Lucy winced inwardly; fear passing her amber eyes for but a moment.

_Why? _She asked telepathically. It was an ability she had used in the presence of sea creatures, passed down to her from generations upon generations. Surprisingly, she was unable to use it to communicate with humans, and she rendered it worthless the very moment she failed to communicate thoroughly with a certain pink-haired human.

Juvia's eyes barely lost their cold flame, the passion kindling her sharp tone as she spoke—her eyes were dull and void, two endless orbs that had seen death, and blood, and tears.

"You are to come home to your father," the mistress of the sea replied, barely flinching as she spoke. "He has ordered me—us—to return you home immediately."

_Who else is here? _Lucy asked, her mouth falling open in surprise. No sound escaped her painted lips. Erza's eyes narrowed suspiciously at the both of them, aware that there was a conversation occurring behind the silence that surrounded Lucy Heartfilia. Her mind slowly began to patch the conversation, trying to connect Juvia's answers to the emotions that played on the blonde's face.

Before Juvia could reply, however, the door opened loudly, and the rambunctious sound of the salmon-haired prince's shout echoed throughout the room as he declared without respect, "There's a man causing trouble down the street! Erza, let me come beat up his ass!"

The blunette raised a perfectly arched eyebrow, curiosity replacing stoic fury. _Is this the prince?_ She thought inwardly, barely contained disgust playing on her features as she eyed the raging man at the other end of the room. Erza stood up whilst sighing, her scarlet hair swishing behind her back as she walked slowly towards the prince, hands curled into fists.

"Natsu," Erza stated darkly, brown eyes gleaming. "How many times have I told you that it is not your job to _beat up _townspeople? This is why we have the royal army. Besides, it's nearly sunrise, and—"

"Come on, Erza! You just wanna beat up that man by yourselves. Give me a little credit."

Before the captain could reply, Gray Fullbuster—hair disarray and half of his buttons undone—came barging in, a smirk on his lips as he positioned himself beside the salmon-haired prince.

"Erza, there's an emergency, we'll—"

"Stay right here just as King Makarov had ordered," Erza said sternly. Gray and Natsu opened their mouths to protest, but the captain flashed them a glare that sent chills coursing through their spine, forcing the two to keep their mouth shut. "I'm glad the two of you understand. You're flames have caused enough destruction in town already, Natsu."

Natsu looked away, crossing his arms and mumbling as if he had just been scolded by a mother. Gray sneered at him.

"Don't think you're a good example, Gray, it took six men to thaw the robbers you had frozen last week."

Juvia watched as the edges of Gray's eyes twitched as if he wanted to contradict Erza's statement, but he kept his silence. "Juvia does not understand what is going on," she announced, and all eyes turned to her.

"It's nothing to worry about, Juvia. You and Lucy just. . ." she paused, eyeing the both of them. ". . . talk." She turned around, facing the two princes and lowering her voice. "The two of you watch them. If a fight breaks out, try to intervene without using force." Natsu and Gray stared at her blankly, both heavily disappointed at the fact that they were to sit out on a battle. Erza sighed. "If the both of you are able to accomplish this _one_ simple task, I will try to convince King Makarov to allow you to fight; given that the both of you are able to understand the responsibility that lies on your shoulders."

This made the two mages a little more fired up, and Erza patted both their shoulders as she exited the room, praying to Mavis that nothing bad would happen.

_Natsu. . ._

Lucy put her hand over her mouth instinctively, as if she had blurted the name out loud. Juvia rolled her eyes.

_You exchanged your beautiful, royal tail for a disgusting pair of legs for this? _

It was her first telepathic response. Lucy beamed at her, grateful that the blunette didn't reveal what she had been thinking to the two men watching them intently.

_He saved my life from people who wanted to kill me. _

"So, we're just supposed to stare at the two of you?" Natsu asked, running a hand through his hair. "That seems easy enough. Bet I can observe them more than you, Gray."

"Shut up, I'd be able to—"

"You wanna go?"

"Why I oughtta—"

"If the two of you wish to fight, please do so," Juvia piped. "That would be the perfect opportunity for Juvia to snatch away Lucy Heartfilia and take her back to where she has to be."

"Why are you taking her back if she doesn't want to leave?" Natsu turned his gaze on her, glaring angrily. "Who are you anyway?" He was walking towards her, his right hand showing the beginnings of a flame.

Juvia narrowed her eyes at Natsu, as if daring him to strike her. "Juvia is Juvia. Juvia needs to take Lucy back to the sea. There is nothing more you should know."

Natsu opens his mouth to retort, but before he can, a bare back meets her line of vision.

"Oi, Natsu, this isn't the time," Gray said indifferently, crossing his arms above his chest. "Remember what Erza told us." He glances behind him, eyes meeting Juvia's, and she flinches, a light tint of red crossing her cheeks at his gaze.

Trying to remain calm, she looked away.

_I'll give you three days, Lucy Heartfilia. _

The chair screeched as Lucy stood up, beaming in Juvia's direction. _Thank you! _She shouted in her mind, and the blue-haired girl flinched.

She flashed Lucy another glare. "Don't shout."

"No one shouted," Natsu told Juvia, cocking his head to the side in confusion.

"Juvia was not talking to you. She was talking to Lucy-san."

"But she didn't say anything. She can't speak. Right, Lucy?" Lucy flinched as Natsu stared at her, expecting an answer. She shook her head and opened her mouth, but no sound came out.

"Then how'd you hear her?"

"A question I'll answer for another day, Natsu-san." With grace, she stood up, the chair making no sound as its legs slid against the shaggy carpet. Her legs were throbbing, and her head was starting to hurt for a reason she did not understand. "Goodbye."

* * *

Exiting the room was kind of a bad idea, Juvia concluded.

To say "the castle is huge," is an understatement. It was different kinds of humongous, and was probably larger than Lucy's home back in the sea. In an attempt to find water, she had blatantly disregarded the fact that she knew nothing about anything on land.

She clutches the wall in desperation, breathing ragged as she clenches her fists, trying to ease the pain in her newly acquired legs. It felt like her legs were _still _being split apart. Her vision was starting to blur, and the hallways were starting to look as if they were slowly being transformed into a whirlpool.

"Why is it hurting?" she hissed quietly, closing her eyes as she attempted to ease the pain.

A silent scream exited her mouth as she fell on the ground, tears beginning to stream down her cheeks. She held her legs closer to her, pushing her garments up to see if there was anything wrong. Pale skin stared at her—her legs looked fine and still resembled the anatomy of a normal human, but the pain coursing through her system told her otherwise.

_I want to go back to the sea. _

Gajeel wasn't anywhere near her and she was in a place she didn't know. Anyone there could be an enemy—humans were not to be trusted.

The smirking face of _that _prince flashed in her mind, and she exhaled. He had shown her kindness. He was a human. He was considerate and selfless. Humans are evil. He was dashing and brave. Humans are—

"Oi, what are you doing on the floor?"

Tear-stained orbs looked up at the sound of the deep voice. Ironically, Gray Fullbuster stood beside her, eyebrow raised and arms crossed above his chest. He blinked as he caught sight of the glittering drops of water on her lids and lashes, but his face remained impassive.

"None of Gray-sama's business," she replies stonily, wiping her eyes with as much dignity as she could muster, trying to stand up.

The pain worsened as she managed to get both feet on the ground, a thousand invisible needles prickling her skin and her knees buckled, giving way as she fell for the second time.

Gray caught her elbows before her behind hit the floor. "None of my business, right," he said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. He lowered his voice then, "are your legs okay?"

He was staring at her intently, and Juvia felt as if the life had been knocked out of her. His face was emotionless, but his eyes held concern—an emotion she didn't know humans could feel. Clenching her fists, she nodded.

He sighed audibly. "See, this is what you get for coming out of the sea."

"Juvia has to—"

"Yeah, yeah, bring Lucy back, I get it. I don't see why you have to risk your life for it, though. Lucy seems perfectly happy here." She looked away, unable to respond. "Do you want to go back to the sea?"

She shook her head again. "If Juvia comes back to the sea, her tail will return."

"Then just go back."

"She can't." Her head was beginning to throb as well, and she held on to Gray unconsciously, closing her eyes as she began to inhale and exhale deeply, trying to maintain consciousness.

"Oi, stay with me," Gray said, tapping her skin, the edges of his fingers brushing the sleeves of her dress. For a moment, he wondered what the mermaid felt with the material. He was uncomfortable with clothes, so someone who has never tried them before should feel uncomfortable too, right?

'_Stay with me forever, Juvia,' _was what the mermaid heard. She had to mentally slap herself—Humans are evil, humans are evil.

"Wa—" she started, coughing. _Water. _

"What?" he asked. When she didn't reply, gasping for air, he cursed. "Damn it Juvia, get yourself together." He took the girl in his arms, heaving her upward as she struggled for breath.

Searching the castle, he located the nearest bathroom—which coincidentally, happened to be _his _room—he had just come out of it after all.

Juvia stared at him through half-lidded eyes. Despite the searing pain and the nauseating, throbbing ache in her head, she felt comfortable in his arms. For someone who controlled ice, he felt—warm.

"Breathe," she heard him tell her, and she tries to; there is nothing but dry air.

Gray kicked the doorknob to his bathroom open, reminding himself to fix it later on, and places her gently in his bathtub, dress and all. Her head lulled to another side and her fists were clenched. She was turning deathly pale.

He turns his shower open, and the minute the fresh water touches her skin, her eyes jolted open—only to immediately close again. Gray turned on his faucet as well, the clear drops circulating around the mermaid.

For a long time she sits there, reveling in the feel of her element. Juvia felt a little relieved, for her feet remained feet and didn't turn back into her beautiful tail.

"For a second time, you have saved Juvia, Gray-sama," she says without looking at him. Her garments were soaking up the water as well, but she didn't mind.

He shrugged, sitting down at the edge of the tub. "You still alive?"

"Juvia is."

The silence returns. Her fingers are playing with the drops subconsciously, and Gray watched her. A light smile was playing on her lips. Gray opened his mouth to speak.

"You know, you could _not _return Lucy back to the sea. As much as I hate Natsu, he seems happier with her here. Even though, you know, she can't talk."

"I have to do my job as an S-Class mage."

"I thought you didn't know what mages were."

"It's called _lying, _Gray-sama, in case you didn't know."

"Are you lying now?"

She looked at him, the rosy hue to her cheeks slowly returning, blue orbs shining with life. He blinks in surprise, his own cheeks turning a light shade of red.

"No," she told him. "Juvia is not lying."

"Why does your job require the capture of Lucy Heartfilia?" he asked interrogatively.

"Her father's looking for her. He needs her back in the kingdom."

"But _why?" _

"I can't tell you."

For the first time, she speaks in first person. He stops, unable to continue. "Fine," he answered against his will. "You were told that you can stay in the castle as long as you behave."

"Juvia won't touch Lucy for three days, Gray-sama," she said. "Juvia is a mermaid of her word. After three days, she really does have to come home."

"We won't let you."

"Why do you care about her so much?" she spoke before she could even stop herself. "Lucy Heartfilia is—is—"

_Lucky, _she thinks. Well-loved by the sea and her people, by the land and its people. Juvia Lockser, the mistress of water, who brought despair wherever she went—

"She's a friend," he replied, raising an eyebrow quizzically at her tone. "What's wrong with that?"

"Don't worry about it, Gray-sama," she says, diverting the topic. She shouldn't reveal her true emotions to a man—a _human _she barely knew. "It's none of your business."

"The last time you said that you almost died," he told her. "In case you don't remember, it's why you're sitting in a tub full of water."

She didn't reply to that.

"Anyway, Juvia," He was standing up to leave, hand running through his hair, "just take off those clothes. If you can't do it by yourself, someone'll come by here and take it off for—"

A pale arm emerged from the water, reaching for the edge of his coat.

"Please stay, Gray-sama."


	4. lights coloured blue

_To make up for my one year and a half absence, here's chapter three (released only a few days after chapter two yaaas HAHAHA) thank you so much for following my story, I am forever grateful :) please leave a review if you can!_

* * *

**Chapter III: lights colored blue**

* * *

"Please stay, Gray-sama."

He stared at her in surprise, eyes shifting from her fingers gripping his coat and her face, a rosy hue dusting her pale cheeks. Her sees her expression—she looked just as surprised as he, as if she hadn't expected herself to latch upon him when he attempted to leave.

Gray cleared his throat, and Juvia's grip on his coat loosens. The mermaid opened her mouth to speak, attempting to tell him that _Gray-sama doesn't have to stay if he doesn't want to, _but he interrupts her by sitting down once again nonchalantly.

He doesn't speak, and she can't make out a word even if she tried. The people in the palace contradicted everything she believed to be true about the human species. They were strangely welcoming, as her presence in the didn't seem to bother anyone residing in the structure. Maybe Master Jose was wrong. Maybe Gajeel was wrong. Maybe _she _was wrong. Maybe humans weren't as vile—

She shook her head, trying to extract the thoughts from her head. _No mercy, Juvia. _

"Are you okay?" Gray asked her, arching an eyebrow. It surprised the mermaid when the simple action made her breath hitch in her throat.

"Yes," she answered immediately. Her voice came out higher than she had expected, and she touched her throat instinctively.

"What, you gonna lose your voice too?"

"No, Juvia is not going to lose her voice. Nor will she ever give it up."

"Did Lucy give hers up?"

"Perhaps," she replied vaguely, implying that Gray wouldn't be able to get answers out of her anytime soon. "Perhaps she didn't."

Gray let out a frustrated groan, running a hand through his dark locks. "This is why _Erza _does the interrogation, y'know?"

"Erza-san is a very powerful woman," she told him, nodding her head. "Juvia can sense a great deal of magical energy emitting from her; she's not someone you should mess with, I presume."

"I bet I can defeat her," Gray said, smirking. "Erza's gonna be kissing the ground once I'm done with her."

"Yes, you can keep on dreaming."

Gray froze. Juvia tilted her head to the side in curiosity, eyes landing on a familiar, armor-clad mage standing in the doorway, arms crossed above her chest as she stared at the both of them, an amused smirk playing on her lips.

"Erza-san," Juvia greeted, bowing lightly from where she was seated.

"Hello Juvia," Erza answered, nodding her head in acknowledgement. She turned her gaze to Gray. "So, Gray, what was that again?"

"This is my room," Gray said, changing the topic. "I told you a million times—"

"Not to enter your room, yes," the captain walked towards the both of them eyes sparking with curiosity. "But your door was left open and our. . . Shall we say, very _naked _guest_, _has been cursing the name Lucy Heartfilia and is looking for a girl named Juvia."

Juvia's eyes widened in surprise, and she swayed instinctively, the water from the tub rising as she moved. "Gajeel-kun! He is—"

"A man who has injured three of our people," Erza interrupted, eyes darkening. "And that, Juvia, is not easily forgiven."

Juvia opened her mouth to defend her friend, but thought against it. Erza Scarlet was a woman who possessed powers far greater than that of her own—hell, she was probably as strong as Master Jose, who was the strongest mage she had ever encountered. . . And she writhed underneath the torture of _his _magic whenever she did a mission incorrectly.

"Can you take me to him?" She opts to say instead, trying to stand up. This proved to be a bad idea as the moment she does so, her feet slip her bottom meets the bottom of the tub again.

"I will, after you explain to me what you and Gray are doing in his bathroom and why you are drenched in his tub."

* * *

He's tired and amused at the same time.

The fact that Erza had prohibited fights in the castle was enough to piss him off because every time he saw his pathetic excuse for a _brother, _Gray felt the need to introduce his fist to the salmon-haired prince's face. Also, he couldn't pick fights _outside _of the castle, and he was desperately craving for a good fight.

His battle with Juvia had been exhilarating. She was fluid in her movements and precise whenever she struck. For a moment, Gray wondered if she would agree to duel with him again, without thoughts of killing him playing in her mind.

She was different. The mermaid spoke of herself in a manner unfamiliar to him—referring to herself by name, as if she was a separate entity from the body given to her—but she seemed to possess manners and was civil (something Natsu didn't even have, and he was a _prince). _

"I will, after you explain to me what you and Gray are doing in his bathroom and why you are drenched in his tub."

He froze for the second time that day.

Juvia looked calm from his perspective, but the scenario Erza caught them in was strange in itself. He was leaning against his bathtub with a drenched yet fully-clothed girl in it.

"Juvia is a mermaid. She needs water. She almost died so Gray-sama took her here."

"I see," Erza replied calmly, and Gray sighed in relief. Erza was always the composed one between the three of them, even though she screamed a lot whenever they accidentally destroyed her strawberry cake. "May I assume that Lucy Heartfilia and the guest we are holding downstairs are merfolk as well? You have expressed your desires to _return _Lucy to the sea."

"Yes."

Gray's surprised Erza's getting answers out of her quickly, but then again, these are things he already knew and deducted.

"Can Juvia go see Gajeel-kun now?"

Erza hummed in response to Juvia's question. Gray could tell that the captain wanted to continue the interrogation, but refrained herself from doing so.

"Perhaps you would like to get new clothes. Again."

Gray snickered at Erza, but the captain shot him a glare, effectively shutting him up. He wasn't exactly one to speak when it came to maintaining his state of dress.

Juvia was looking at Erza as if she had just grown a second head, before she sighed and began to attempt to stand up for a second time. "Erza-san, you are aware that garments such as these have never fared a mermaid's skin—especially _this_ mermaid's skin—until now. They are extremely uncomfortable."

_They are, _Gray agreed in his mind. He always felt as if his clothes constricted his movements, having been used to training without them.

"This is what society deems appropriate," Erza said. "I'm sorry, but you'll have to bear with it a little more for now. I'd rather not have another being walking around the palace stark naked." Gray flinched, knowing the comment was directed at him.

Juvia frowned. "Gajeel-kun won't like clothes either."

* * *

She heard Gajeel before she even saw him.

His voice, deep and menacing, shouting curses in a language only the both of them understood. It was one of the reasons why the two of them were so tightly-knit despite being in a group as ruthless as Phantom. They understood each other—both literally and figuratively.

"You're slow," Gray commented, looking back at her. Erza, who was in front of her as well, did the same.

Erza had allowed her the liberty to walk barefoot (the shoes looked very tight and she felt like she would have fallen had she covered her feet with the objects) in consideration for her new legs. Her feet wouldn't even be seen because of the long gown she had placed her in, so it didn't matter whether or not she wear shoes.

She glared at the both of them in an attempt to maintain her dignity. The pain she had felt earlier subsided when she met the water, but it left a lingering numbness that seemed to overtake the entirety of the lower part of her anatomy, making it harder for her to walk.

"Do your feet hurt?" Erza asked in concern. "Would you like me to carry you?"

_Never _in the mermaid's life would she rely on a human when she was perfectly capable of pushing herself to accomplish her task. It was just _walking. _So, keeping her head high in the air, she voiced out her thoughts. "Juvia doesn't need any help."

To prove her statement, she overtook the both of them, following the sound of the merman shouting.

Erza watched her amusedly, chuckling. Gray raised an eyebrow at the scarlet-haired captain.

"What's the matter, Erza?"

"Nothing," she replied, shaking her head, the smirk never leaving her lips. "She just reminds me of me." She lowered her voice then, resuming their pace as she spoke, "I've read in books that mermaids who transform their tails to feet experience pain that resembles a thousand needles piercing through your skin."

Gray was watching the blue-haired woman in front of them walk as if nothing of the sort was happening to her. "Sounds bad," he said dryly. "But why didn't Lucy experience that kind of pain?"

"I don't know," Erza answered, shrugging. "Maybe it's because she gave up her voice. We'll find out more later, once we get answers out of all of them."

"See, this is what Natsu gets when he falls out of a ship and fails to swim because he was really drunk. He's still looking for the mermaid who saved him, right?"

"You're thinking it's Lucy?"

Gray nodded.

"I think so too."

They halt the conversation when Juvia pushes a wooden door, eye twitching in irritation. Stupid humans and their stupid human things.

"Gajeel's on the other side," she said indifferently, as if she didn't just try to open a wooden door by pushing it forward.

"You have a lot to learn," Gray told her, dismissing her statement. He turned the knob in front of her, effectively opening the door and allowing the three of them entry.

She didn't reply for fear of embarrassing herself more.

_Seaweed! _

She flinches in annoyance at the nickname, finally in contact with Gajeel after being apart with him for a day. _How many times did Juvia tell you not to call her that?_

Gajeel was chained, the dark metals surrounding his wrists and the ankles of his newly-acquired feet. The mane he called hair was disarray, and wounds covered the entirety of his body. "Eleven times," he replied, looking at the water mage standing in front of him. "You look like a human."

"You're not one to talk, Gajeel-kun, you look like one too," she said smoothly, frowning at him. "And here Juvia was thinking you wouldn't get caught by the pathetic creatures you wanted to kill."

"I wouldn't have gotten caught if I didn't find out _you _were fraternizing with the enemy."

They seemed to know each other very well, Gray observed. Even if he couldn't understand what both of them were saying, they seemed comfortable with each other. Perhaps they were brother and sister? Or lovers? He shuddered. The ice mage couldn't seem to imagine the two of them—one calm and composed, the other ragged and aggressive—in any sort of relationship aside from familial.

"Levy's the only one who can understand what they're saying," Erza whispered, her voice taking a tone that meant she was angry and calm at the same time. "But this man—this merman—"

"You have hurt three of their kind."

It took Gray by surprise when Juvia spoke in their language again, and they could finally understand what she was saying.

"Nothing you wouldn't have done," Gajeel replied.

"Ah, so he's capable of speaking our language after all," Erza muttered lowly. "This man has been causing me trouble because he wouldn't answer my questions directly. The only things I could pick up was Juvia's name and Lucy's name."

"Gajeel-kun, maybe, maybe. . ."

The thoughts that had plagued her mind in the tub threatened to spill out. '_Maybe not all humans are bad. Maybe they're kind. Maybe they're accepting. Maybe they—' _

But as she took in the appearance of her friend, tortured and chained in front of her. . .

"Release him, Erza-san," Juvia spoke. "Gajeel-kun will not cause you harm, Juvia will make sure of it." The merman cursed her telepathically, but she paid him no heed as she continued speaking. "I will explain everything once you release him."

Erza looked at her in contemplation, considering the option. There was a chance that she was lying, after all. She could strike once her friend was free.

"You can't trust these fucking humans, Juvia!" Gajeel shouted.

"Much like we can't trust both of you." Gray glared at Gajeel, and the merman glared back with just as much force. "You're on _our_ territory, in case you've forgotten. Live with it or _you _die."

For some reason, the fact that Gray didn't trust her—well, basically Gajeel and her, but she was included—didn't quite sit right in her heart, and it surprised the mermaid. Ever since she had met him, Juvia found herself starting to feel differently. He was making her think that maybe not all humans were bad, that there were people like him who were just as willing to defend those who needed his protection. It scared her.

"As much as I would like to find out more, Juvia," Erza started, twirling the keys in her fingertips, "He has injured innocent civilians, and as I said before, that is unforgiveable." The power radiating off of Erza Scarlet was truly on a different level. Even Gajeel seemed to shut himself up. Juvia kept her stance.

"State their names."

"Two men named Jet and Droy, and a maiden called Levy," Erza answered, narrowing her eyebrows in suspicion.

"Take Juvia to them, then."

"I hope you understand when I say that I don't trust you, Juvia."

"Erza-san really shouldn't," the mermaid said honestly, nodding in agreement. "But if Erza-san can prove Juvia wrong when she says that humans are vile creatures who know no mercy—" her eyes, which were as vast as the sea itself, sparked in what looked like fury, "then Juvia will do no harm."

"Are you going insane, Juvia?" the chained man shouted, dragging the metal objects along with him as he shoved his fists forward.

"No, she's trying to make negotiations, something Gajeel-kun can't understand."

"Is that an insult?"

"Shut your trap, Gajeel-kun," she hissed sharply, and the man clamped his mouth shut, even though his glare stood strong against hers. Great, she was already mad. She spoke in their language, "We're in _their_ territory, as Gray-sama has mentioned. We can't take all of them out on our own. If you want to die, then go—_die in the hands of the humans you hate_."

She was right, he thought, but he didn't want to give her the satisfaction of knowing that (even though she probably already knew) and Juvia returned the conversation to Erza, who was watching the both of them warily.

"Gajeel-kun will remain calm for now," Juvia told the armour-clad mage. "Let's allow him to contemplate on his actions. Take me to the people he has hurt."

"What are you planning on doing?" Erza had opened her mouth to speak, but Gray beat her to it, voicing out the captain's questions before she could say it herself. "Mavis, I'm so tired of your endless riddles, Juvia. Just say what you're going to do outright!"

"Juvia's a water mage," she said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Water mages are healers."

* * *

She wasn't lying.

Gray train of thought mirrored Erza's, the two watching the mermaid work with the three's injuries quickly. Wrists, arms, shoulders, and stomachs were covered by a glowing blue light. They had—begrudgingly, at first—provided Juvia with water, and Erza had told Gray to standby should the girl attack. The mermaid, however, proved her words true as she merely manipulated the drops and dispersed them, the glowing beads of water following the wounds of the injured trio.

"Juvia's used to doing this," she said without their prompting. "Gajeel is always going around hurting people."

"Well, then I guess we have you to thank for their fast recovery," Erza stated, sighing in relief. "You don't seem as bad as you make yourself out to be, Juvia."

"Should Juvia consider that a compliment or an insult?"

"Depends on how you look at it, I guess." She shrugged, glancing at Gray, who did the same. "If you wanted yourself to look bad, then it's an insult. If you wanted yourself to look good, then it's a compliment."

"I guess Juvia's neither good nor bad. She's just doing her job."

"Ya 'know, you could make that a business or something," Gray piped, and Juvia raised an eyebrow at him.

"Pardon?"

"Oh right, mermaid. A business is—"

"Juvia knows what a business is, but what should she make a business?" A wry smile was playing on her lips.

"Healing, I mean," he replied offhandedly. "You seem really good at it. It could be better than chasing around princesses who left their sea to come on land for a dim-witted prince."

"Juvia kind of likes fighting better than healing." She snapped her fingers, and the blue lights disappeared. "She likes feeling alive."

Juvia had grown up alone, fending for herself in the wide, wide sea. The only friend she had ever made was Gajeel, for he was able to understand the language she had grown up with, compared to the rest of the merfolk who could only converse using the language of the people on land. They welcomed the humans with open arms, the kings talking with kings about trade and whatnot.

That's what made Phantom different.

A knock on the door made the three of them turn around. "Captain Erza, the king requests your immediate presence," a maid said delicately, bowing her head after she spoke.

Erza nodded. "I must depart for now. Juvia, I've seen that you keep true to your promises, and I as a mage respect that." She flashed Gray a pointed look. "For now, _you _keep her company, since Natsu's preoccupied."

Gray nodded, not really planning on contradicting her.

The captain left the room, leaving Gray and Juvia alone with the three slumbering humans. Sighing, the ice mage sat, unconsciously unbuttoning his shirt as he leaned against the chair, closing his eyes.

"These three just need to rest and they'll wake up feeling a bit numb, but that's natural. All they have to do is walk it off and they'll be fine."

He nodded absent mindedly, opening one eye to see the mermaid take her place opposite him, fumbling as she did so. He closed his eyes once more.

She was . . . odd, to say the least, but as long as she wasn't trying to kill him, he figured she was okay.


	5. the tale of the singing cave

_Hey, it took me only half a year to update this time. HAHAHAHA I'm making progress! This is gonna be a long author's note damn oks I DO NOT OWN ANY CHARACTERS MASHIMA-SENSEI IS BOSS WOOO_

_This chapter is dedicated to v. reve , who sent me the boost I needed to keep writing! Best wishes to you!_

**_WARNING: _**_This chapter may contain spoilers that don't seem like spoilers but I don't want u to be spoiled so plz approach with caution! _

_Also, if u catch my moana references, u rock_

* * *

**Chapter IV:** **the tale of the singing cave**

* * *

Silence engulfed the two mages as they sat together, trying to make the most out of the fleeting moment. Juvia placed a hand on her head, clenching it in a fist as she groaned in pain silently. Apparently, healing while away from the vicinity of the sea was a lot harder than she estimated.

Closing her eyes, she brought her feet up and gently massaged the areas that felt as if there was a thousand needles pricking her skin; painful thorns that threatened to break it open. Her legs, soft and smooth to the touch, gripped her with a splitting pain she couldn't heal. It was a small price to pay for being able to heal the wounds of the injured.

You can never heal yourself.

She leaned on the velvet seat, allowing her back to relax on the cushion as exhaled. The air on land was a lot lighter compared to the sea. She found it easier to move, but her body craved the floating sensation she was accustomed to. Juvia could hear the sound of waves from the distance. The water was calm as it lapped on the shore with a rhythm only seafolk were able to hear. The sea was playing a gentle, serene melody that called her name, its familiar tune echoing in her ears.

_Juvia, _the sea sang, its waters splashing against the sand, _Juvia, come ba—_

"Do you miss the sea?"

Her eyes opened slowly, catching the nonchalant image of the prince. He was leaning against his armrest, eyes lazily looking over her. Juvia returned the look he sent her pointedly, eyes narrowed suspiciously as if she was trying to determine whether or not the incoming conversation was going to be some form of interrogation. Telling him the truth couldn't hurt, of course.

"Yes," was her stoic reply.

He hummed in response, unconsciously playing with the buttons of the coat he was wearing. Gray looked outside the window pane that filtered the light that entered the room. From afar, he could see the line where the sky met the sea. Sparing a glance at the mermaid-turned-human, he found Juvia's eyes caught in some sort of daze as she watched the sun's rays play on the edges of the sea.

"Juvia feels as if the sea. . . is calling me."

He said no reply, instead opting to follow her line of vision. Shades of orange lined the sky and sea, stretching across the horizons and illuminating the earth as the bright star prepared to depart.

He could have sworn he heard the mermaid sigh longingly.

"You know," Gray started, breaking the silence for a second time. Juvia tilted her head to look at him. He shuffled in his seat, deciding that staring at Levy, Jet, and Droy's sleeping figures was much better than facing the scrutinizing look Juvia was sending his way. "There's a festival tonight."

"A festival? Is that some sort of ritual?"

"No," Gray replied, rolling his eyes. "Well, kind of, I guess? It's an event celebrated by the people in our kingdom to commemorate the singing cave. The entire thing is happening at the beach, and since you miss the sea—"

"No," Juvia interrupted immediately, shaking her head. "Juvia does not wish to return to the sea until Lucy Heartfilia is subdued."

There was also the fact that should Juvia come into contact with a single drop of seawater, she would revert back to her mermaid form and would be gasping for water in no time. Gray doesn't need to know this. Should the worst occur, she would have to cut the mission, thus jeopardizing her life and Gajeel's in the process.

"Lucy's coming to the festival with Natsu," Gray said. The ice mage stood up, stretching his limbs and cracking his knuckles. "And since I have to go because of," he sneered at the words, "_prince _duties, you have to come too."

"Juvia doesn—"

"In case you forgot, Erza specifically instructed _me _to watch over _you. _And unless you want your face to have a very close relationship with her knuckles," Gray shuddered at the thought, "you have to come with me."

His words were harsh, but his eyes looked at her without judgement. Dark orbs that spelled out curiosity without malice. Juvia merely stared at him in response, her face void of any emotion. She seemed to excel in making people wonder what she was plotting.

Her voice was almost no higher than a whisper when she spoke.

"Why, Gray-sama?"

He stared back at her quizzically, his lips releasing his intelligent reply: "Huh?"

She stood up from her chair (slowly, almost tantalizingly), fingers fidgeting over the soft hems of her dress. "Why?" she repeated, as if the single word would make him understand her unspoken question.

Juvia stopped when she stood in front of him, blue eyes imploring his own. Gray returned her gaze to the best of his abilities, looking down at her in confusion.

"Why?" Tears were threatening to spill from her eyes, but Juvia stood strong. She didn't know that going on land would make her become a slave to the new emotions flooding her system; feelings she didn't know she was capable of experiencing. "Why?"

_Why are you proving everything I know about humans to be wrong? Why are you treating me as if I was a friend, and not an enemy? Why are you so—so—_

"Why are you so kind to me when I tried to kill you?"

His eyes widened at her question. No words could form in both his mouth and his brain, so he opted to stare at her. The question was revealed, but an answer was yet to form.

It was a loud shout that disrupted Gray's thoughts.

"GRAY!"

Juvia exhaled, releasing a breath she didn't realize she had been holding. Immediately she blinked, trying to calm her racing heart and halt the flow of tears that threatened to spill on her pale cheeks. The door burst open, only to reveal Natsu Dragneel and Lucy Heartfilia. The latter was smiling jovially while the former sported a grin that spread from ear to ear, his fangs displayed for all to see.

Gray almost (_almost) _thanked Natsu for his interruption. He glanced at the three patients who lay on their beds, checking to see if their slumber was disrupted because of the idiotic prince.

"Some people are trying to sleep!" Gray shouted as softly as he could, moving to Natsu's side and kicking the other prince's back. Natsu glared at him, opening his mouth to retort. . . only to shut it again as he spared the Levy, Jet, and Droy a sympathetic glance.

Lucy waved at Juvia kindly, smiling. Juvia nodded at her in acknowledgement. The princess of the sea giggled nervously, but her heart lightened significantly. Juvia didn't seem to be a very open person, and a nod from her, well, it was a start.

_Are you going to the festival?_

Strangely, Juvia didn't answer her question. Lucy tilted her head to the side in curiosity. The other mermaid looked distracted. It was as if Juvia didn't hear her question at all. She was watching Gray with slight interest, eyes narrowed as if she was trying to figure him out.

Lucy placed a hand underneath her chin. _Interesting._

This time, Juvia looked at her. "What?"

Lucy beamed. _Are you going to the festival?_

Juvia paused. Lucy heightened her senses, opening her aura as to accommodate the emotions the other mermaid was feeling. Conflicted, suspicious, apprehensive and. . . scared? Lucy's eyebrows furrowed. In a fraction of a second—so fast that only a trained eye (something Lucy was _very _proud she possessed) could see it, Juvia's blue orbs stole a glance at Gray, who was engaged in a heated whisper argument with Natsu.

"Yes, Lucy-san, Juvia is going to the festival."

* * *

The festival is filled with humans.

Her hands were pale. Juvia's fingertips were shaking as she took in the bright colors, laughing townspeople, and inter mingling scents of food that came from wooden stalls. The mermaid looked around, trying to take in the festival and deduce information that was essential to the destruction of the human race.

However—to her horror—for some strange reason, she felt no need to kill. Her mind was going in different directions. The festivities seemed a lot more alluring than the smell of blood shed by humans. Juvia felt no need to destroy the lives of innocent people. Years of hating the humans seemed insignificant as she stood in the middle of their species, shaking.

Her heart was pounding in her chest, as if it was attempting to destroy her ribcage.

She _was_ scared.

The opening remarks were led by a tiny old man who called himself the king. He was a jolly fellow, and Juvia watched with amusement as he shouted at both Natsu and Gray ("you brats! Get your butts in line or both of you lose your chances for the throne!") in between his spiel about the singing cave and the wonders it had done to their kingdom.

He talked about the abundance they had been blessed with. He talked about a goddess named "Mavis." Juvia tilted her head to the side in curiosity, but before she could listen more, Juvia found herself alone with Gray, her fingers twirling itself around the frills of her dress. Natsu had taken the liberty to drag a very nervous Lucy to some boat ride to see the _Sakura _trees in an attempt to loosen her nerves.

Juvia spoke first.

"Where is this _singing _cave?" Juvia asked, trying to appear nonchalant. Gray, who had a fish-shaped cake in his hands, paused in his actions.

Juvia raised an eyebrow at him, observing as he looked at the sky. The stars shone brightly against the darkness, providing additional light to the people who celebrated the festival from below.

Makarov's voice slowly disappeared. The number of villagers around them lessened as they dispersed.

"It's by the shoreline," Gray answered simply.

Silence ate at the two mages for what seemed like the thousandth time that day.

The noise the villagers made served as the perfect background noise for the two while they walked. Gray finished the delicacy in no time, and had moved on to another food booth, stuffing his face with some sort of sandwich glazed with melted sugar. He handed Juvia a piece.

"Eat," he said gruffly, shoving the sandwich in her direction. "You haven't eaten all day."

Slowly, she took the rather large sandwich handed to her. Her fingers worked to avoid the gooey mixture. The mermaid stared at it apprehensively.

"Gray-sama, this is—" she adjusted the positioning of her limbs once more, "sticky."

"That's what makes it delicious," he replied. "Bet you never had one before."

"Food like this isn't exactly delivered to the sea."

"Then you don't know how to eat it." Gray smirked, before opening his mouth wide and ramming the sandwich in. He took a large bite out of the caramade frank. "Diff ish 'ow ya' eat a Cawamade Fank."

For some reason, she was tempted to laugh.

Here was a high and mighty prince who was able to manipulate ice and possessed the ability to defeat _her, _one of the strongest, S-class mages of Phantom. Currently, said prince was teaching her how to thrust sandwiches in her mouth.

For the first time in a long time, Juvia flashed a hint of a smile. "Juvia will try it."

She opened her mouth wide and copied his actions. The ooze from the sandwich filled her mouth with a sweetness she had never tasted before, so she took a second bite the moment she swallowed her first.

"Like it?" Gray asked.

For some reason. the townspeople were eyeing the both of them weirdly, as though they had figured out that she was a mermaid who had come on land to wreak havoc. Juvia cast a glance in Gray's direction, almost in inquiry—

Then she found out the reason why.

"Gray-sama," she said, her voice no higher than a whisper, "your clothes have disappeared."

"Ack!" was the man's reply as he looked down at his state of undress. Gray groaned. "You finish that. I'll look for my clothes." With those words, he stomped away.

Juvia's half-eaten sandwich was calling for her attention. She clutched the delicacy tighter. She could feel her power surging through her veins. Flowing through her blood stream, blooming in her heart. The ocean was near, speaking her name in its tides.

This was her _chance._

The only person who could stop her was gone. She could take revenge on these pitiful humans. These savages were the ones who decided that the lives of her parents were of less value than theirs. She would destroy them, kill them—

_Why are you so kind to me when I tried to kill you?_

"Are you done?"

Juvia snapped out of her trance almost immediately. Gray stood in front of her—fully-clothed, thankfully. She nodded.

"Where next?" Juvia looked at him in confusion. "You've been following me around all day," he continued. "It's your turn to choose."

She hummed as she thought, absently nibbling the sandwich. Gray stared at her in amusement.

"Will Gray-sama take Juvia to the singing cave?"

* * *

The ocean air felt fresh as the wind billowed in his ears.

Beside him, Juvia took slow but measured steps, trying to accustom herself to the feeling of land. Gray sighed, shoving his hands in his pockets. For a reason he could not comprehend, the girl—mermaid—always seemed to surprise him.

Juvia took in the familiar scent of salt littering the breeze, and she sighed in contentment.

For the first time, she was actually starting to consider a life that didn't involve the massacre of many innocent human beings.

The sea sang its song louder than ever, shouting her name whenever the waters smashed against the sand.

_Juvia_, it called, letting her name echo in the wind, _Juvia, come ba—_

"Have you ever heard Mavis' legend?"

She turned her head to look at him slowly, taking in his rather disheveled appearance. His dark hair flung against his forehead as the breeze whipped around him. He had destroyed the song the sea was singing to her for the second time that day.

"Juvia was unable to hear it," she responded. Almost half of the king's speech was a jumble of words in her head. If she was honest, all she could remember was the way Makarov shouted at Natsu and Gray's rather _unprince-like _demeanor. How ironic. "But Juvia thinks she heard that Mavis was able to grant blessings."

Gray nodded. "She sends bountiful amounts of seafood. To thank her, we have this festival."

Juvia scoffed. "Juvia is assuming the cave has a legend, then?"

"Of course. Every goddess has to have a legend," Gray responded sarcastically. "Mavis' was so disappointing though."

His face sombered. Curiosity bloomed in the mermaid's mind and she scooted a little closer, urging him in her subconscious to tell the tale of the goddess.

Gray seemed to have heard her, because he continued. The first line of the tale were the words he knew by heart; a product of Makarov's bedtime stories. "This is the story of a cursed boy and a cursed girl."

Juvia raised an eyebrow. "Seriously?"

Gray laughed. "Hey, it's not a very happy story. Mavis, who was sweet, kind, and beautiful, was a mage who fell in love with the king of the underworld."

Juvia gasped inaudibly, eyes widening. "_Zeref?" _

"Yeah," Gray answered. "There was once a time when Zeref and Mavis weren't separated by land and sea alike. They used to be able to interact with each other and marvel at the beauty of the world."

"What happened?"

"She fell in love with him. He was darkness, the prince of evil. She was—she was light. It didn't work out. They were warned countless times to stop their love for each other but both were too stubborn to listen. One day. . ." Gray trailed off. He looked at Juvia warily, watching the play of emotions on her usually passive face.

"One day?"

"One day. . . Mavis lost her life."

". . . How?"

Gray shrugged. "The legend doesn't say. But Zeref was devastated. He rushed to the underworld as quick as he could and scourged for her soul. Unfortunately, her resurrection came with a price. They were to remain apart from each other and Zeref would have to rule the underworld for eternity."

"Mavis-san would live but Zeref would never be able to see her again? Juvia thinks that is so. . . sad."

"I think so too," Gray said, frowning. "Anyway, Zeref agreed. He considered her life to be valuable. He wanted her to live."

"So Mavis-san returned to land?"

"She came to this cave," he gestured towards the hollow opening. "It's said that every night, she calls out for him, wishing that he would return to her. She was a gentle soul. So as not to irritate the townspeople, she would send gifts that came in the forms of fishes and bountiful harvests. She became a goddess." His words echoed Makarov's own. "They say her voice resembles the lull of the sea, the distant call of a gazelle, a melody that attempts to penetrate land—deep in the recesses of the underworld. That's why this cave is called the _singing_ cave."

The peace that fell upon the prince and the mermaid was filled with fidgets and shifts, each trying to hear the voice that the legend had told. Fingers buried themselves in the sand as ears perked, ignoring the whistling tone of the breeze.

Juvia closed her eyes. She could hear the waves, the wind, the crowd—everything was jumbled together in a flurry of muffled noise. Perhaps if she strained a little more, she would be able to sense the presence of the goddess.

Maybe if she could listen just a tiny bit—she would be able to hear—

_"__Zeref. . ." _

Juvia's eyes snapped open.


End file.
